Automatic wrapping apparatus



May 20, 1969 s. A. ABANDOS 3,444,666

AUTOMATIC WRAQPING APPARATUS Filed Oct. 5. 1966 Sheet I of 4 Geo/ye A.Ja/a'fla aJ INVENTOR.

A TI'OAMEYJ BY Magda. 4

y 1969 v G. ALSARANDOS 3,444,666

AUTOMATIC WRAPPING APPARATUS Sheet 2 M4 Geo/ye A. Jere/70%.:

- INVENTOR.

BY 9 Rand ATTORNEYS y 0, 1969 G. A. SARANDOS A AUTOMATIC WRAPPINGAPPARATUS Filedoct. 5. 1966 Sheet 3 of 4 Geo/ye 14. Jarawao:

7 BY 440 M .& RM! 4 x1 T'I'ORNE YS May 20, 1969 a. A. sARANnos 7AUTOMATIC WRAPPING APPARATUS Filed Oct. 5. 1966 Sheet 4 or 4 Geo/ye ,4.Jarawam 39 e INVENTOR.

39f BY f,

11' 'I'TORNI'I YS United States Patent US. Cl. 53-167 8 Claims ABSTRACTOF THE DISCLOSURE An automatic wrapping apparatus for automaticallywrapping a product having a handle or other projection extending fromits body.

Briefly, the present invention provides means for automatically wrappinga deodorant product or the like which has a handle or other projectionextending from its body. While the following description relatesspecifically to deodorant products, it should be understood that therange of products which may be wrapped by the appara tus of the presentinvention is not so limited. Also, as will be described, the apparatusof the present invention may be readily modified to automatically wrap awide range of differently shaped bodies.

Certain deodorant products must be wrapped to prevent their chemicalcontent, usually paradichlorobenzene, from decomposing upon beingexposed to the atmosphere. The deodorant product wrapped by theapparatus of the present invention is a unit in the form of a solid bodywith a handle, usually wire or the like, extending from one point of thebody. Such unit is generaly employed as a deodorant aid in conjunctionwith bathroom fixtures such as urinals and toilets. The handle isprovided for the purpose of attaching the unit to the bathroom fixtureto prevent it from being flushed into the sewer line or from beingrapidly decomposed by constant washing over or submersion in the watercontained within the fixture. Generally, the handle is bent by hand intothe form of a book which is then placed over the upper rim of thebathroom fixture to suspend the chemical body of the unit in the desiredlocation within the fixture.

Because the chemical body of the deodorant unit decomposes upon exposureto the atmosphere, it is necessary to wrap the body immediately afterits manufacture to protect it until it is ready to be used. While priorart machinery has heretofore been available for the automatic wrappingof deodorant blocks which do not have handles or other projections, nosuch machinery has been available for automatically wrapping deodorantblocks or units which have a handle or other projection. As aconsequence, such blocks or units with handles or other projections haverequired the more expensive and time consuming procedure of handwrapping.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a new andimproved apparatus which automatically wraps deodorant blocks or unitshaving a handle or projection, or any simliar product.

It is also an object of the present invention to provide a singleapparatus for automatically wrapping products having projections as wellas products lacking such projections.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a singleapparatus for automatically wrapping products having projections as wellas products lacking such projections wherein the body of the product mayassume a wide range of shapes.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide an apparatusfor automatically wrapping a product having a handle or other projectionextending from its 3,444,666 Patented May 20, 1969 body in a protectivecovering wherein the protective covering closely adheres to the base ofthe handle or projection to form a substantially air-tight seal aboutthe body of the product and the base of the handle or projection.

It is an object of the present invention to provide means forautomatically placing a protective covering about a product having abody portion with a projection or handle extending from the body portionwhereby the body portion of the product is completely Wrapped in theprotective covering with the covering being tightly drawn about andenclosing the base of the projection to provide a substantiallyair-tight package about the product.

Another object of the present invention is to provide means foreliminating costly and time consuming hand wrapping procedures.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will becomereadily apparent from a consideration of the following description anddrawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is an elevation of one form of the apparatus of the presentinvention;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the apparatus of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a partial elevation, partly in section, taken along the line3- 3 of FIG. 2, illustrating one operating position of certain movingcomponents of the invention;

FIG. 3A illustrates the components of FIG. 3 in a second operatingposition;

FIG. 4 is a partial elevation taken along the line 44 of FIG. 2illustrating, by solid and dotted line convention, two operatingpositions of a component of the present invention;

FIGS. 58A illustrate progressive steps in the folding operation of theapparatus of the present invention;

FIG. 9 is a partial elevation illustrating in greater detail severalimportant operative components of the apparatus of the presentinvention;

FIG. 10 is a partial enlarged plan view illustrating one form ofoperation of the folding blades of the present invention.

Before entering into a detailed description of individual components ofthe apparatus of the present invention, a general functional descriptionof some of the operations performed by the invention will be useful.Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2 of the drawings, the illustrated form of theapparatus of the present invention includes a first conveyor indicatedgenerally at 10. The conveyor 10 transfers the deodorant units 11,comprising a handle 23 and a body portion 30, from left to right in thedirection of the arrow as the endless chains 13 and 13a move in aclockwise direction about the sprockets indicated generally at 17 and17a.

The units 11 are held in place and are properly spaced from each otheras they move along the conveyor 10 by the small projections 14 and '14aon the chains 13 and respectively. As the projections 14 and 141:: reachthe sprockets 17b, the unit 11 is transferred to the pad 15a: of anelevator mechanism indicated generally at 15. While a deordorant unit 11is thus being placed on the pad 15a, a measured sheet 18 of athermoplastic wrapping material 18a, such as cellophane or the like, issimultaneously positioned over the top of the unit 11. When a properamount of the wrapping materials has been fed out over the unit 11, theknives or cutters '19 are activated to sever a sheet 18 from thewrapping material supply roll 18b. The pad 15a and the unit 11 are thendriven up into the cylindrical cavity 16a of a die 16 to draw thewrapping sheet 18 down around the sides o the unit 11. As may best beunderstood by referring to FIG. 9, the unit 11 is elevated through thedie cavity 16a and positioned in an opening 25 formed in a circularplate 26. When the unit 11 is properly positioned in the opening 25, theundersurface of the unit 11 is above the blades 20, 21 and 22 used infolding the sheet 118 about the unit 11. As the pad 15a withdrawsthrough the die cavity 16a, the folding blades 21 and 22 close in belowthe unit 11 taking it from the pad 15a and, subsequently, in cooperationwith the blade 20, folding and closing the wrapping 18 about the underside of the unit 11.

When the blades 20, 21 and 22 have folded the wrapping 18, they withdrawto their initial positions, the plate 26 rotates in a counter-clockwisedirection, as viewed in FIG. 2, carrying the unit 11 over a heatedsurface 37 to a new position. The heat conductive surface 3-7 is heatedby a heating unit 12 to a temperature high enough to render the wrapping18 self-adhesive to bond overlap-ping folds. As the unit '11 continuesits movement with the opening or slot 25 of the moving plate 26, thefolds at the bottom of the unit 11 in the wrapping 18 are automaticallyheat sealed and the wrapping 18 is crimped tightly about the base of thehandle 23. The handle 23 is then bent by a reciprocating multiplepurpose element 46, and the completely wrapped unit 11 is ejected onto asecond conveyor indicated generally at 24.

Considering the invention now in greater detail, attention is firstdirected to FIG. 1 'of the drawings wherein the exterior case 28 isillustrated as containing representative means indicated generally at 27for imparting a desired reciprocating or rotating movement to variouscomponents of the apparatus.

It should be understood that the mechanism 27 to be described hereindoes not contribute to the novel aspects of the present invention and isillustrated merely as a schematic representation of means capable ofproviding the desired movements for certain operative components of theinvention. Appropriate means are well known to those having ordinaryskill in the art and any of such means which are capable of effectingthe 'desired movements in properly timed sequence may be substituted forthe exemplary means to be described.

The representative mechanism 27 comprises an electric motor M whichdrives the belts '101 and 106. The belt 101 drives a reduction gear Gwhich in turn drives a belt 102. The belt 102 drives the power wheel W.A clucth C takes up the slack in the belt 102 to activate the powerwheel W. The wheel W has two projections 103 and 104 extendingrespectively from its two sides. The projection 103 engages a power arm41 and drives it upwardly during the upper portion of the movement ofthe projection 103. The power arm 41, when thus driven by projection103, raises the elevator 15 and closes the cutters 19 while itsimultaneously opens or withdraws the blade from its position over thecavity 161:. At the lower portions of its revolving movement, theprojection 103 drives the arm 105 which acts as a clutch to tighten thebelt 106 for a purpose to be described. The projection 104, disposed onthe power wheel W at the side opposite the projection 103, drives thepower arm 40 during the upper positions of its revolving movement withthe wheel W and drives the arm 107 during the lower positions of itsrevolution. The arm 40 closes the blades 21 and 22 when it is engagedand activated by the projection 104. The arm 107 :draws a reciprocatingmultipurpose element indicated generally at 46 downwardly when activatedby the projection 104 by drawing a central shaft 45 through a hollowshaft 110. The wheel W drives a belt 108 which in turn drives theconveyor 10.

As before mentioned, the belt 106 is tightened by the action of arm 105to act as a clutch. The belt 106 is connected to the motor M and whenthe belt 106 is tightened, it drives the twisted belt 109 which in turnrotates the hollow shaft 110 at its lower end. The hollow shaft 110 isconnected at its upper end to the plate 26.

A belt 111 drives the rollers 112 to feed the wrapping material 18abetween the die cavity 16a and the elevator pad 15a.

As best understood from reference to FIG. 2 of the .4 drawings, the twomoving drive chains 13 and 13a of the conveyor 10 receive the handle 23and body 30, respectively, of the unit 11. The projections 14a and 14are designed to accommodate the body 30 and handle 23 of the unit 11 asshown. While a specific conveyor means 10 has been described, it will beunderstood that any means which performs the functions of positioning,spacing and transporting the units 11 in the desired manner may besubstituted for the conveyor 10 as illustrated herein. Thus, merely byway of example, the conveyor 10' may be a flexible belt mounted onrollers corresponding to the sprockets 17 and 17b, with appropriatelyplaced projections, corresponding to projections 14 and 14a, beingattached to the belt.

Referring now to FIG. 1 of the drawings, when the unit 11 reaches thesprocket 17, its momentum and direction cooperate with the projections14 and 14a to place the unit 11 on the pad 15a of the elevator 15. Theprojections 14 and 14a also insue proper alignment of the unit handle 23with a slot 16e of the die 16 as the unit 11 is placed on the pad 15a.

Concurrently with the positioning of the unit 11 on the pad 15a, theWrapping material 18a, supplied from the roll 18b, is fed out asillustrated in FIG. 1 of the drawings so that the sheet 18 is positionedbetween the unit 11 and the die 16. When a suificient amount of materialhas been provided, the knives 19 sever the sheet 18 from the supply 18a.A rod 32 mounted as illustrated, assists in keeping the wrapping sheet18 elevated in the proper position above the unit 11. A second bent rod33 also assists in positioning the sheet 18 as well as serving to guidethe handle 23 into the slot 16:: of the die 16.

As best shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the die cavity 16a is provided at itslower end with a brush 16b. The base of the brush 16b is secured to theinner cylindrical surface of the die cavity 16a and the bristles of thebrush 16b extend into the interior of the cavity As the unit 11 isdriven up into the die cavity 16a, the brush 16b acts to resilientlydraw the wrapping 18 down against the sides of the body of the unit 11.The bristles of the brush 16b overlap or cross at the point 160 causingthe wrapping 18 to be pulled against the top portion of the base of thehandle 23 as it spreads the bristles at 16a in its upward movementthrough the cavity 16a.

Referring to FIGS. 5A and 9, when the pad 15:: reaches the highest pointin its movement through the cavity 161:, the wrapping 18 is pulled downover the unit 11 in the manner illustrated. In this latter position, thetop of the unit.11 engages a spring loaded press 34 which is mounted ona rigid support element 36. The support element 36 is adjustably mountedon the vertical members 29 and 35, which are spaced from the plate 26 toprovide adequate clearance from the moving handles 23 extending from theplate 26. As the elevator pad 15a begins to retreat down the cavity 16a,the blades 21 and 22 are activated by the drive arm 40 illustrated inFIGS. 1 and 10, and begin to close over the cavity 16a and under thebottom of the unit 11. When the blades 21 and 22 have closed partiallyover the cavity 16a but before they strike the pad 151:, the elevator 15retracts to remove the pad 15a from the path of the closing blades 21and 22. The unit 11 is thus prevented from falling back toward thecavity 16a as the pad 15a retracts by the presence of blades 21 and 22as they move into the position illustrated in FIG. 6 of the drawings.

During operation of the machine, the momentum imparted to unit 11 by theupward driving force of the elevator 15 prevents the unit 11 fromimmediately changing its direction with the change in direction of theretreating pad 15a. As a consequence, the closing of the folding blades21 and 22 may be timed to allow ample opportunity for the pad 15a toremove completely from the path of the closing blades.

The movement of the blades 21 and 22 illustrated in FIG. 6 of thedrawings effects the corresponding folds in the wrapping 18 indicated bythe arrows in FIG. 6.

As the blades 21 and 22 begin to retreat to their initial positions, theblade 20, disposed below the blades 21 and 22, is activated by the powerarm 41 and begins to close over the cavity 16a and under the blades 21and 22. The described movement of the blade 20 effects the correspondingfold in the wrapping 18 illustrated by the arrow in FIG. 7A of thedrawings.

As illustrated in FIG. 8, while the blade 20 withdraws, the unit 11 isdisplaced in the direction of the arrow by a counter-clockwise movementof the plate 26. This latter movement of the plate 26 and the unit 11effects the final fold in the wrapping sequence as illustrated by thearrow in FIG. 8A of the drawings and also acts to position thesucceeding opening 25 over the cavity 16a. Thus, with reference to FIG.9 of the drawings, the final fold in the wrapping 18 results when theunit 11 is pulled across the top rim 16 of the die 16 and onto theheated surface 37.

As the wrapped unit 11 moves with plate 26, the Wrapping 18 at thebottom surface of the unit 11 is heated sufi'iciently to render thewrapping material 18 plastic causing the folds in the wrapping to adhereto each other. A heat conductive lip 42 projecting slightly above theheated surface 37 serves the dual function of compressing the wrapping18 against the under side of the base of the handle 23 and conductingthe heat from the heating unit 12 and the surface 37 to the base 6f thehandle 23 to thus fuse the wrapping 18 at that point. The net result ofthe compressing and heating steps is a tight seal of the wrapping 18around the base of the handle 23.

The central shaft 45 reciprocates upwardly and downwardly between twopositions as indicated by the arrow in FIG. 1 of the drawings. Themultipurpose element 46 is rigidly secured to the shaft 45 andreciprocates therewith.

As best illustrated by dotted and solid line convention in FIG. 4 of thedrawings, an alignment fork 47, secured by an arm 48 to thereciprocating element 46 aligns the unit handle 23 immediately below thefork on the downward stroke of its reciprocating movement.

As illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 3A of the drawings, the bending tool 49and a spring loaded clamp 50 are attached by an arm 51 to the element46. The tool 49 bends the wire handle 23 as the shaft 45 movesdownwardly. The spring loaded clamp 50 performs the dual function ofstabilizing the unit 11 against the bending force imparted by the tool49 as well as pressing the folds in the wrapping 18 at the bottom of theunit 11 firmly against the hot surface 37 thus improving the fusing ofthe folded material 18.

Referring to FIG. 2 of the drawings, a punch 53 depends from the end ofan arm 54 which in turn is attached to the reciprocating element 46. Asthe shaft 45 moves downwardly, the punch 53 strikes the unit 11 freeingit from the opening 25 and allowing it to fall on the conveyor 24.

A balance arm 55 extending in the direction illustrated in FIG. 2 of thedrawings carries a rod 56 at its end. The rod 56 extends throughopenings 57 in the plate 26 and strikes the surface 37 as the shaft 45moves downwardly. The resultant force imparted to the shaft 45 by thearm 55 and rod 56 on striking the surface 37 compensates for the bindingforces imparted to the shaft 45 by the fork 47, the clamp 50, the tool49 and the punch 53.

It may be appreciated that the reciprocating motion of the shaft 45activates each of the components of the multiple purpose element 46simultaneously. Thus, on the downward movement of the shaft 45, the fork47 aligns the handle of a first unit 11; the tool 49 and clamp 50respectively bend the handle 23 and bear down on the body 30 of the nextpreceding unit 11; the punch 53 knocks the unit 11, twice removed fromthe first unit 11, from the aperture 25; and, the bar 56 strikes thesurface 37 to prevent the shaft 45 from binding.

In examining the sequence of operations effected upon a single unit 11,it should first be noted that the plate 26 rotates in a counterclockwise direction in discrete steps of 45 as it carries the unit 11 todifferent phases of treatment. Thus, the unit 11 is introduced into anopening 25 of the plate 26 by the previously described action of theelevator 15. When the shaft 45 is in its highest position, the plate 26rotates in a first step of 45. Each cycle of the apparatus causes theshaft 45 to move from a high position to a low position and back to ahigh position. The plate 26 remains stationary during the movement ofthe shaft 45. Upon completion of each cycle, the plate 26 quicklyrotates 45 and stops. The first three such cycles carry the unit 11along the heated surface 37 and position the handle 23 of the unit 11under the fork 47. The next downward movement of the shaft 45 correctsthe alignment of the handle 23 of the unit 11 by the centering action ofthe V-slot fork 47. When the shaft 45 returns to the highest position,the plate 26 again rotates 45. This latter movement by the plate 26moves the unit 11 into position below the arm 51 where it is acted uponby the tool 49 and clamp 50 by the next downward motion of the shaft 45.Thereafter, when the shaft 45 has completed its downward motion and hasreturned to its highest position, the unit 11 is moved by another 45rotation of the plate 26 below the punch 53 where the next downwardmovement of the shaft causes it to be ejected onto the conveyor 24.

It will be remembered that when the plate 26 carries several units 11 inthe aperture 25, each cycle of the shaft simultaneously effects adifferent operation on each of several units 11 as hereinbeforedescribed.

Reference is again made to FIG. 9 of the drawings where it may be seenthat each of the openings 25 in the plate 26 is provided with adepending rim 43. The rim 43 extends below the level of the foldingblades 21 and 22 and is cut away, as illustrated, to permit the blades21 and 22 to close over the cavity 16a as hereinbefore described withoutstriking the rim 43. A notch 44 is provided in the rim 43 preventing thehandle 23 from being displaced as the folding blades 20, 21 and 22 closein under the unit 11. The notch 44 also assists in maintaining properalignment of the handle 23 for succeeding steps of the wrappingsequence.

The operation of the folding blades 20, 21 and 22 may best be seen byreference to FIG. 10 of the drawings. The blades 21 and 22, areactivated, respectively, by the L-shaped member 38 and the mechanismindicated generally at 39. Thus, the L-shaped member 38 pivots about thefixed pin 29 upon movement of the arm 40 (to the left in theillustration of FIG. 10), elfecting a downward or closing movement ofthe blade 21 through the guides 58 and 58a. The mechanism 39 activatingthe blade 22 includes a link 39a rigidly attached to a pin 39b which inturn is rigidly attached to a member 390. A pin 39d projects up from theend of the member 39c and is received by a slot 39e in a second member39f. The member 39 is hinged at one end to the fixed pin 39g and at theother end receives in the slot 39:: a pin 39h which is attached to theblade 22. The mechanism 39 operates as follows: as the arm 40 moves tothe left, the link 39a rotates the pin 39b which in turn rotates themember 390 in a counter-clockwise direction; the movement of the member390 causes the pin 39d, acting through the slot 39e, to rotate themember 39 about the pin 39g in a clockwise direction; the member 39acting through the slot 39e drives the pin 39h which in turn slides theblade 22 upwardly and to the right along the guides 58b and 58c.

A very important feature of the apparatus of the present invention iseffected by disposing the blade 22 at an acute angle with respect to theunit handle 23. Thus as illustrated in FIG. 10, the blade 22 is disposedat an angle of approximately 45 with respect to the unit handle 23. Theillustrated angular relationship between the blade 22 and the handle 23effects a winding of the wrapping 18 about the base of the handle 23 asthe blade 22 closes, thus providing a very tight seal.

Although the foregoing description has related specifically to automaticwrapping of deodorant units in the form of a truncated cone, it will beappreciated that the apparatus of the present invention may, by minormodification, be adapted to wrap many differently shaped units. Thus,the apparatus of the present invention may be modified to automaticallywrap semicylindrical units by appropriate modification of the pad 15a,the cavity 16a, and the plate opening 25. By Way of example rather thanlimitation, for automatic wrapping of a semicylindrical unit, thecircular pad 15a may be replaced by a semicircular pad; the cavity 16amay be divided longitudinally with an insert element with appropriatebrushes atttached to the insert to conform the shape of the cavity tothe semicylindrical unit; the circular opening 25 may also be fittedwith an insert to conform the shape of the opening to the shape of thedeodorant unit; and the shape of the blade 20 may be appropriatelymodified to effect the appropraite folding action. Moreover, it willalso be apparent that the apparatus of the present invention is capableof automatically wrapping units having no projections extending fromtheir bodies as well as units having projections without modification.This is of particular importance in reducing down time in convertingbetween wrapping units having projections and those without projectionsin a single, multi-purpose apparatus.

Although only a single preferred form of the automatic wrappingapparatus of the present invention has been disclosed, manymodifications may be made within the scope of the appended claimsWithout departing from the spirit of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus for automatically wrapping a unit having a handle orother projection extending from a body comprising:

(a) die means for receiving a unit and having a slot through which aprojection on said body may extend;

(b) elevator means for elevating said unit into said die means with saidprojection extending into said slot;

() wrapping material supply means for providing a sheet of wrappingmaterial between said elevator means and said die means;

'(d) folding means for folding the sheet of wrapping material about saidbody and the base of said projection in overlapping folds; said foldingmeans having folding blades adapted to pass adjacent to and on each sideof said projection for folding said wrapping material under said unitwhile leaving said projection substantially uncovered; and

(e) transporting means for moving said unit to different stages ofproduction.-

2. The apparatus of claim 1 above including:

(a) conveyor means for depositing said unit on said elevator means;

(b) a slot provided in said die means for receiving said projection;

(0) brush means disposed along the interior of said die cavity forresiliently drawing the wrapping sheet down around the sides of saidbody;

(d) first reciprocating means for aligning said pro jection;

(e) second reciprocating means for bending said projection;

(rf) third reciprocating means for holding and pressing said body whilesaid second reciprocating means bends said projection;

(g) fourth reciprocating means for ejecting said unit from saidtransporting means; and (h) fifth reciprocating means for effecting abalancing force against the forces exerted by said first, second, thirdand fourth reciprocating means. 3. The apparatus of claim 1 aboveincluding means for crimping and adhering the overlapping folds of thewrapping material about the base of said projection.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 above wherein:

(a) said folding means includes plural folding blades wherein at leastone of said blades is disposed for movement at an acute angle withrespect to said projection; and

(b) said means for crimping and adhering includes heating means forrendering the folds of the wrapping material plastic to fuse theoverlapping folds of wrapping material to each other.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 above further including reciprocating meansfor aligning and bending said projection, said reciprocating meansfurther including means for ejecting said units and means for balancingthe forces exerted by said reciprocating means.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 above including:

(a) heating surface means for rendering the wrapping material plastic tocause the folds in the wrapping material to fuse;

(b) heat conductive lip means projecting from said heating surface meansfor crimping and heat fusing the wrapping material about the base ofsaid projection; and

(c) reciprocating means attached to a shaft, wherein said reciprocatingmeans includes means for aligning said projection, means for bendingsaid projection and pressing said unit against said heating surfacemeans, means for ejecting said unit from said transporting means, and,means for preventing said shaft from binding.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 above wherein:

(a) said die mean-s includes brush bristles extending into the interiorof said die cavity to draw the wrapping material down around the top andsides of said unit;

(b) said folding means includes plural folding blades wherein at leastone of said plural folding blades is disposed at an angle of less than90 with respect to said projection for winding said Wrapping material inoverlapping folds about the base of said projection; and

(c) said transporting means includes a plate having plural openings,said openings further including depending, cut away, notches rims forholding said projection.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 above wherein said brush bristles overlapand cross 'at said slot to draw the wrapping material down about thebase of said projection when said unit is transported through said die.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS THERON E. 'CONDON, PrimaryExaminer.

N. ABRAMS, Assistant Examiner.

US. 'Cl. X.'R.

